


Talk About a Diplomatic Mission

by one_more_offbeat_anthem



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin schools Ben, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Millenium Falcon, Minor Poe Dameron/Finn, POV Ben Solo, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Rose has had enough, rey and ben kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25807024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/one_more_offbeat_anthem/pseuds/one_more_offbeat_anthem
Summary: Ben is excited to go on his first trip after the war, especially since it’s to Naboo, where his grandmother is from, and because Rey is coming with him. The only problem? Finn, Poe, and Rose still don’t trust him….so they insist on coming along.Of course, things don’t go as planned. Features our homeboy Forceghost Anakin, some hurt/comfort, and a touch of angsty Stormpilot. Oh, and we’ve decided to act like the Finn/Rose kiss never happened, since J.J. Abrams decided to do that, too. But we still love Rose. She’s great.(also slight AU where Ben lived at the end of TROS)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	Talk About a Diplomatic Mission

“For the last time,” Ben over heard Poe say to Rey, “We don’t trust the guy. He beat me up just to get information, he’s tried to kill all of us numerous times, he killed his own father!”

“And he helped me defeat Palpatine, brought me back to life, and helped us win the war!” Rey argued back, “Unless you’ve forgotten that already.”

“I don’t care—“

Ben heard Finn cut across Poe, “I think what he’s trying to say, Rey, is that we’re concerned for your safety, going off alone with him. I know, I know, you can take care of yourself. But I think all of us would feel better about this mission if you had us along.”

“All of us?” Rey asked.

Then he heard Rose’s voice, “I’m coming, too. The Falcon can hold that many people.”

“And a Wookie?”

“Sure,” Poe said, “And a Wookie.”

They came around the side of the ship, and Ben tried to look as if he hadn’t been listening to their discussion. “Hey guys,” he said, “What’s up?”

“We’re, uh, coming with you to Naboo, if that’s alright,” Rose said, glancing at the others for reassurance. She had cottoned onto liking him the fastest, after briefly threatening him with a screwdriver if he hurt Rey. Rey had admitted to him that she had only told Rose about their kiss on Exegol after she had been resuscitated—she didn’t think the guys could handle it.

She was probably right.

Lando walked up to them, “You’re off, then? All of you?”

“You betcha,” Poe said firmly, “Can you guys manage without for a few days?”

“Of course!” The cheerful general spread his hands wide, “It’s a beautiful day here, and now, with the defeat of the First Order, it’ll soon be a beautiful day all over the galaxy. Be safe, and get along.”

They turned to board the Falcon, and Ben felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see Lando smiling at him, his eyes glimmering.

“Ben?"

“Yes sir?”

Lando’s smile grew broader, “It’s good to have you back with us. I missed you, kiddo.” He ruffled Ben’s hair, “Now go, and enjoy yourself!”

When Ben got to the cockpit of the Falcon, Rey and Poe had entered one of their marathon arguments about the ship.

“If you hadn’t light speed skipped last week, we wouldn’t be having this problem—“

“And if I hadn’t light speed skipped, Finn, Chewie, and I wouldn’t be here to talk to you!”

Rey sighed and slammed her hand against the control panel, “I’m just saying, you could treat the Falcon with more respect—“

“Wanna talk about respect? I still haven’t gotten BB-8’s replacement parts….”

Rose turned to Finn and Ben, “They could be here for a while, let’s go.”

He followed them to the back of the ship and they all sat around the table, although no one bothered to bring up the game—it flickered too much, anyways.

“Are they always like that?” Ben asked.

“Pretty much,” Finn said, rolling his eyes, “You should have seen them when we were looking for the Sith wayfinder….every decision came with a conversation like this…and you know how Poe likes to show off.”

“Once we get to Naboo, and they don’t have to be in such close proximity, it’ll be better,” Rose added, “This is a lot of togetherness for them.”

They could hear the arguing continue, and an occasional Wookie roar from Chewie. Finally Finn stood up, “Okay, they’ve been at it long enough. I’m gonna go…peacemake.”

“Good luck with that,” Rose replied, grinning. Once Finn had left, she turned to Ben, “I’m sorry if we’re cramping your style, the guys are just…protective.”

“I can tell,” Ben said drily, resting his chin on his hands, which were propped on the table.

“And, uh,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “They don’t know that you and Rey kissed.”

“How do you know?”

“She told me—because she knew that I would react normally, and I would understand….Finn and Poe got…they got stuff.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s…complicated. I mean, Finn obviously likes Poe—that jacket he wears all the time? Belongs to Poe. He got it when he and Poe escaped the First Order. But Poe? Well, there’s his old friend from Kijimi, she’s clearly not interested…but Poe is a pro at repressing his feelings.”

“So they would be upset to hear that we kissed…” Ben started.

“Because they’ve got feelings for each other buried down deep, and they don’t forgive as easily,” Rose finished.

“Once again, I can tell.” He groaned, “But it sounds like they’ve stopped fighting.”

“Maybe this trip’ll go well, after all,” Rose replied, smiling.

****

True to Rose’s hopeful prediction, the first couple of days on Naboo went well. They were staying at the lake house that had formerly belonged to Ben’s grandmother, and he liked feeling close to his familial ties—seeing as, now, everyone in his family was dead. To be fair, he had killed one of them….a fact that haunted him perpetually.

On the afternoon of their second full day, they were eating lunch on the terrace, discussing the sights, sounds, and diplomatic meetings they had had so far as part of rebuilding a peaceful government—which would hopefully actually work, now that Palpatine and the Sith were really gone.

The topic of discussion had, in fact, turned to the Sith, which Poe was having a good time making fun of mercilessly.

“I mean, have you seen them? All they all wrinkly or something?” He looked at Rey, “No offense, but I’m not entirely sure how your grandfather came to have children.”

“Oh, no, I understand…” she replied, “I certainly couldn’t see a family resemblance when I met him.”

“I mean, who would want to kiss a Sith Lord, especially one that looked like Palpatine? What would that be like?”

“I dunno,” Rose quipped, “You’d have to ask Re—“ She clamped a hand over her mouth, “I mean, I have no idea.”

“Were you about to say Rey’s name?” Finn asked, narrowing his eyes. He looked first at Rey, and then at Ben, “Rey, don’t tell me you kissed Ben!”

Rey flattened her lips into a line and stared at him.

“You did, didn’t you?” Finn deflated for a second, and then burst out, “Why didn’t you tell us?! I didn’t even know you _liked_ him!”

“Because I knew you’d be upset!” She said, “And I don’t see any of you talking about who you liked or don’t like or whatever!”

“Yeah, well none of us like a murderer!”

“Yeah,” Poe added, “He’s literally the worst person I’ve ever met. How could you like him, or even stand him?”

Rey stood up, “You stop that, right now.”

Poe stood up in turn, “You can’t make me, Rey. I’m gonna speak my mind!”

This argument went on, back and forth, with insults being rolled around, for a couple of minutes, until Finn said, “Rey, you’re being a terrible friend. I can’t believe you would lie to us like this—and about him.”

“You wanna talk about lying?” She shot back, “Because we can! I—“

“Enough!” Rose shouted, and everyone turned to her in stunned silence. She stood up, “All of you are behaving like children. I mean, Ben’s right there, and you’re acting like he can’t hear everything you’re saying. And you guys are all friends. You need to grow up. I think you should all spend some time apart and think about how horrid you’re all being!” She turned to leave, “Except for you, Ben. You haven’t said a _word_.”

They all watched her leave, and then Ben said quietly, “I’m going to go, too….since I’m not wanted here.” Before any of them could retort, he got up and left, too. He heard Rey call after him, but ignored it.

They were right, weren’t they? He was never going to be a better person. It didn’t matter how long he stayed on the light—until he died, he was always going to be Kylo Ren at the core, wasn’t he? Maybe Rey should have left him on Exegol when he almost died from giving his life-force to her.

He found himself in a field, and flopped down on the ground, staring at the clouds as they slowly floated past. Maybe he could stay here forever, become part of the landscape…

“You know, I love this field,” a voice said.

Ben sat up and turned around, “Who’s there?”

“Over here,” the voice continued, “Waving at you.”

He saw, sitting next to him, a shimmering, slightly see-through young man who bore a striking resemblance to his uncle Luke and his mother. The man smiled at him, “You’ve never met me, so this might be confusing. I’m Anakin…your grandfather.”

“My….why…why haven’t you appeared to me before?”

“I wanted you to return to the light of your own accord…but I’ve been watching, you know.” He looked out into the distance, “This was the place where your grandmother and I had most of our courtship…and where we got married, on that terrace.”

“Wow…”

Anakin returned his ghostly gaze to Ben, “I know how you’re feeling right now, Ben. Like you’ve failed everyone. But you haven’t. You made the right choices when it mattered most…and you made them far before I did, so you have your whole life spread in front of you.”

“But I’ll never be…I’ll never really be good, will I?”

His grandfather laughed, “Being good is not a one-time thing. You have to work at the balance of the Force every day. When I died and came to the afterlife….well, things weren’t so great at first. Sure, I had saved my son, and therefore the Rebellion, at the expense of my life, but I had done a lot of terrible things in the years preceding. My actions had led to my wife’s death. I had dueled my old master. I had killed younglings, sentenced my daughter to death unknowingly…so, naturally, not everyone was happy to see me. It’s taken time to build up trust and understanding. And that’s how it’ll be with Rey and her friends. There’s still a lot for you all to unpack about this war. But I know you can do it.”

“How do you know that?” Ben asked.

“Because you’re a Skywalker…..and, on top of that, a Solo. If there’s anything we Skywalkers are…it’s persistent.” Anakin laughed, “If only you had met me when I was, well, a bit younger than you, before I became Darth Vader…I feel like we would have been good friends. As it is,” he spread out his hands, “I’m glad the Force made my ghost younger me…me when I died didn’t look so good. I, uh, didn’t have any arms or legs. I was basically a wheezing animatronic.”

“Wait…is that why you wore the full-body suit?” Ben asked.

“Of course! And the mask was to help me breathe, because I had _literally_ been burned by lava. We were always laughing up here about your mask…you didn’t need it.”

“I wanted to be like you,” Ben said in a small voice.

“And now you are….in the right way, of course. Oh, look, someone’s coming. I better go.” Anakin stood up, “I hope we get to talk again sometime, kiddo. You’re just as nice as I had hoped.” And with that, his grandfather stood up and walked into the horizon, slowly disappearing as he did.

The “someone” coming turned out to be Finn. He waved awkwardly at Ben and called, “Uh, hi!”

Ben waved back as Finn got closer and finally sat down next to him. The two men, former Supreme Leader and former Stormtrooper, sat in silence for a few minutes until Finn finally said, “I think I owe you an apology.”

“It’s alright,” Ben said, “I have kinda been the worst.”

“I mean, you did try to kill me once…and you almost succeeded. But…” Finn turned to him, “You saved Rey’s life, almost at the expense of your own. And that means a lot to me…she’s my best friend.”

“What about Poe?” Ben asked.

“With Poe, it’s….complicated. And Rey and I…well, we just get each other.” Finn lowered his voice as if someone might be listening, “I haven’t told many people this, but, uh….I’m Force-sensitive. I can’t use the Force like you and Rey or whatever, but….we can sometimes sense what’s up….” He paused, “I felt it when she died.”

“Oh….” Ben trailed off, “I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t kill her. In fact, you did the opposite. I just…” Finn sighed, “I never imagined her liking you. I mean, it makes sense, the whole ‘two-that-are-one’ thing, but it just seemed crazy….but the rest of us will never understand those experiences you two have had together in the same way, huh?”

“Yeah….” Ben sighed, “I just…there’s no way to make any of this up to you guys. There never will be. I’m probably better off leaving, channeling my uncle and escaping to some remote corner of the universe.”

“Ben, I-I know we said we didn’t want you here….but we were wrong. We need you with us. None of us are perfect. I mean, former Stormtrooper,” he pointed at himself, “Chewie’s a smuggler, Rey’s a scavenger, Poe was a spice runner….Rose is pretty much the only one of us that’s really…average, I guess?”

“….Were any of you the Supreme Leader of the First Order?”

“No, but that’s not the point, Ben. Plus, if you leave, Rey will be inconsolable.”

Ben took a deep breath, “Fine.”

*****

Eventually, Finn and Ben made their way back to the lake house, where they were joined by Rose and Poe. Poe immediately apologized and then went so far as to awkwardly hug Ben (which was uncomfortable for everyone involved). Rose was back to her normal cheerful self.

The only person missing was Rey.

As they were about to have dinner, Ben looked around, “Is-is Rey not coming?”

“She won’t speak to us or leave her room,” Rose said, looking down, “She’s pretty upset.”

Ben stood up, pushing his chair away from the table, “I’ll go talk to her.”

“Will that help?” Poe asked, but Finn put a hand across his chest to silence him.

“Let him try,” Finn said quietly.

Ben walked down the halls of the house until he found the room Rey was staying in. He knocked on the door once, twice, three times…no answer.

“Rey?” He said, “It’s—it’s Ben….we all made up, you know….it’s alright, I’m not mortally wounded by anything they said.”

No answer still.

He lowered his voice, “I know they really upset you, but….it’s just me out here. And I want to make sure that you’re alright.”

Finally, the door swung open. Rey looked up at him, glaring, and then said, “Oh. You really are alone.”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“Even when you were against me, no. Come in.”

Ben didn’t say anything, just sat down on her bed. She went to go look out the window.

“It’s beautiful here,” Ben commented.

“Yeah.”

“After lunch, I, uh, went to the field.”

“That’s cool.”

“I saw my grandfather.”

That made her turn around, “You did?”

“Yeah….first time he’s ever come to speak to me…I was feeling like a real failure, thinking of leaving. He talked me down.”

“You were thinking of leaving?”

“Not leaving you…leaving the others. I thought they didn’t want me here…but we did make up, really. Poe even hugged me.”

“That must have been really weird.”

“You betcha.”

Rey sighed, “I’m sorry about shutting myself up…I just needed some space. I was so upset with them.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I get it.”

She sat down next to him on the bed, “And I wish Finn and Poe would just talk about their stuff. It’s just like Poe to get mad at me about not telling him about you but then pretend like he’s not shoving his own stuff down.”

“Yeah, Rose mentioned that to me on the way here.” Ben reached over and took her hand in his, “But maybe we can all get along for the rest of the time here. I think Finn and Poe just got caught up in wishing you had told them.”

She turned her head to them and smiled, “Well, they’ll live.” And then, to Ben’s slight surprise, she leaned in and kissed him—for the first time since Exegol.

“You gonna tell them about that one?” He whispered.

“Nope,” she whispered back, leaning in again….


End file.
